Edudemic has recently published an article about the 8 Key Elements of Digital Literacy. Included in this article is a TED talk by Doug Belshaw, who has made a really excellent attempt at defining digital literacy. You can read about Doug Belshaw’s work and his thoughts on digital literacy on his site (linked above), but Edudemic summed up some of his ideas on the 8 elements that he has identified as being central to digital literacy, outlined in the graphic below.
Essential Elements of Digital Literacy
Cultural – Look at the context in which the literacy is situated
Cognitive – How do we think when we are using a device (vs when we are not)?
Constructive – We should aim to use technology in a constructive (vs a passive) way
Communicative – We should be using technology to enhance our communications
Confident – You need to be confident to jump in feet first and explore/use/master/learn technology
Creative – Using technology in the classroom requires some creativity and risk taking – don’t stick to the basics when you can test out a new idea or use for technology
Critical – You need the ability to look at the technologies you’re using (and what you’re using them for) with a critical eye
Civic- We should be using the technologies available to us for greater good (which can be widely defined)
Leigh Cassell
Leigh Cassell Consulting 